


I gave you your name (you gave me back my life)

by ErinWrites417



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Baby Fluff, F/M, Olicity and Baby Mia are so adorable it will rot your teeth, One Shot, Post S7, Post S7 Cabin Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 07:22:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19865719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinWrites417/pseuds/ErinWrites417
Summary: A quiet moment with Oliver, Felicity, and Mia during the weeks following Mia's birth.





	I gave you your name (you gave me back my life)

**Author's Note:**

> Title from (you guessed it), a Joy Williams song entitled Sweet Love of Mine. Largely un-betad. All mistakes are mine.

The other side of the bed is empty.

Felicity smoothes her fingers over the sheets, feeling for her husband’s warmth and finding nothing but cool bedding. She sits up and leans on her elbows, searching the room for his familiar form. He’s nowhere to be found.

It reminds Felicity of the days when they were traveling the world, back when they had zero responsibilities and they were so much younger. She’d wake up in the middle of the night without him beside her only to find him doing silent pushups in another room, working off the adrenaline from a nightmare. She’d pull him back to bed and try to stay up with him until he could sleep again.

But Felicity doubts he’s doing pushups tonight. She knows exactly where he is.

And as if she’s willed it into existence, a quiet whimper fills the air followed by the sound of Oliver’s soft voice, talking to their infant daughter.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Felicity has to stop herself from physically clutching her chest at his tender tone. Her gruff vigilante husband, covered in rough scars and hardened by years of vicious fighting is wrapped around that two-week-old baby’s finger.

Oliver is a natural, something she knew from his interactions with William, but seeing him with a baby is truly next-level.

Unable to stay still any longer, Felicity slides out of bed, grabbing her robe and padding across the floor to the open door leading to the nursery. She tiptoes in and is met by the most perfect picture, one she wants to brand in her memory for the rest of her life.

Oliver is standing next to the bassinet, dim light from outside highlighting his bare arms and chest and the tiny bundle squirming in his arms, her wild hair sticking out from under the blanket. He’s bouncing her gently and swaying back and forth, humming softly.

Sweet Lord, he’s going to kill her.

“Hey,” he whispers when he sees her enter the room. “She’s okay, you should go back to bed.”

“Not if you’re being this adorable. I can’t,” Felicity replies. Oliver laughs and grins.

“Really, I’ve got it. You should sleep,” Oliver says, walking over to her and kissing her on the forehead. Felicity ignores him and puts her hand on his warm chest and leans in to stare down at Mia.

“Damn, we did so good. She is so unbelievably perfect,” Felicity says, and Oliver huffs a laugh against her temple.

“The most high quality babies.” Oliver moves slightly, readjusting the baby’s head in the crook of his elbow to free up one arm. He slides it around his wife, pulling her close. She settles into his embrace to watch their daughter’s face as she starts to fall asleep.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Felicity queries softly.

“Nightmare,” he answers, running his palm down between her shoulder blades to the small of her back.

“It’s been a while since you’ve had one of those.”

“She kept me company.”

“You wanna talk about it?” she asks, tipping her face up to look into his eyes.

He shakes his head. “Really, I’m okay. I promise.”

Felicity nods, knowing not to pursue the issue further. She presses her lips against his chest briefly and pulls away to grab a muslin blanket on the changing table. Oliver takes it from her and tucks it around the baby, moving to sit in the rocking chair.

“She is so tiny. I can’t get over it,” Oliver says, shifting the bundle in his arms so he can look at her face, all slack with sleep. She looks even smaller in Oliver’s arms. Oliver looks up at Felicity, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

“Want to see a trick I learned from the pediatrician?”

“Oliver, she’s not a circus performer.”

“No, just look.” He places Mia gently on his lap, her little feet against his stomach, head and body on his thighs. He unravels his perfect swaddle and takes her palms in each of his hands, her fingers grasping his thumbs, and presses the pads of his thumbs gently into her hands. Her mouth opens into a small O. He smiles and releases the pressure, only to push again. Again, her lips part and make an O and Oliver can’t help the chuckle that leaves his throat. Felicity shakes her head, incapable of being the least bit disapproving.

“Alright, so that’s pretty cute,” she says, sliding her hands over his bare shoulders and leaning into his torso to gaze down on her daughter’s tiny face.

“Best party trick of all time.” Oliver runs his hand over her fuzzy head, the soft blonde hairs tickling his fingers. Felicity watches him for a few more minutes, enraptured by the perfection of the moment. But it’s clear Mia isn’t going to startle back awake for a while.

“Come back to bed. She won’t be up for an hour or so to eat; we can get some actual sleep.” Oliver looks up at her, a protest on his lips. But when she holds her hand out for him, he nods and rises from the chair. He situates Mia back in her bassinet, swaddling her flawlessly, and leans down to drop a soft kiss on her head.

Felicity takes his big hand in hers and leads him back to their bed, just a few feet from the door of the nursery. They climb silently under the covers, her back to his chest, wrapped up in one another.

After a moment, Oliver whispers into her ear. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Felicity asks, hands sliding over his forearms wrapped around her waist.

“For all of this. I didn’t know I could have something like this.” 

Felicity feels her throat tighten with emotion. Her voice fails her and she turns in his arms, cupping his face in her hands. Unable to speak, she presses a soft kiss against his lips. When she pulls back, she gives him a watery smile and finally finds the words.

“You big sap,” Felicity’s voice cracks, “I wouldn’t want this with anyone else.”


End file.
